


Despondency

by cartercore



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, George Weasley - Freeform, Harry Potter - Freeform, Hogsmeade, Hogwarts, Original Character(s), POV George Weasley, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, Wizarding World, fred weasley - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:20:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24872944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cartercore/pseuds/cartercore
Summary: de•spond•en•cynounA state of low spirits caused by loss of hope or courage.After the war George is struggling to run the joke shop and keep himself together.
Relationships: George Weasley/Original Character(s), George Weasley/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 29





	1. Chapter 1

George Weasley sat alone in his office in Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. The blinds were drawn and the lights were off, only a dim light shone in the room from between the closed blinds. George was leaning back in his chair, staring at the photo on his desk with a blank expression.

The photo was of him and his brother, back when they were at Hogwarts. It was during their last year when, they had first started testing their products for the store around the school. They were both laughing, Fred's eyes gleamed with mischief, as did George's. If you looked close enough, you could see that far off in the background there was quite the commotion. They had just set off one of their famous Dung Bombs, people were fleeing the scene, but the twins stood, laughing at what a success their product had turned out to be.

It had been ten months since the war. Ten months since Fred had died. Ever since that day, George hadn't been the same. He no longer smiled or laughed like he used to. Most days he felt nothing but sadness and anger. He spent most of his days in his office, or in his flat above the store. He hardly ever was down on the sales floor. The young children who visited the store used to be so excited to see the Fred and George, they were legends among the children of the wizarding world. However, much to the kid's disappointment, George Weasley hardly ever showed his face in the shop after it reopened the August after the war.

His family and friends tried to help, but he just pushed them away. He didn't even spend Christmas at the Burrow. He spent it alone, in the flat that he and Fred once shared, drowning his sorrows in Firewhiskey. It broke Mrs. Weasley's heart when he didn't show up for Christmas, it broke her heart even more when he stopped returning her letters.

George's gaze moved from the framed picture on his desk when he heard the door to his office open. Verity, his assistant, peaked her head around the door. Her short, choppy blonde hair was covering half of her pale face. She stood looking at George for a moment, then she spoke, "May I come in?"

George nodded silently, and Verity hurried in, closing the door behind her. She made her way across the room, her cloak dragging across the floor. She sat down in the seat in front of his desk, and yet again looked at him without saying a single word.

"Is there a reason you're here?" George said, getting tired of the silence; his words came out harsher than he intended.

"I'm quitting," she blurted out, letting out a breath she had been holding in since she arrived at work early this morning, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"This is a joke right?" George said, his voice low.

"I'm sorry," Verity repeated again, her voice quiet as she looked down at her clasped hands resting in her lap.

"You can't do this," George said, searching her eyes for a reason, "you were the first person we ever hired. You're the only one besides me who's been here from the start. You can' just leave now."

"You rely on me too much. I'm basically running this store for you. I can't keep doing this George. I can't take on all your responsibility, I can't do it anymore. You need to start facing the world again, and stop hiding from it in your office," she gave him a sad smile, but continued, "I know it's hard. It's been hard for me too, but you can't let it stop you from living."

"Hard for you too?" George sneered, anger suddenly bubbling up inside of him, "You will never know how this feels. I've lost everything! Nothing will ever be the same! How dare you compare what you're feeling to me, it will never compare!"

"You're not the only one suffering! You think Fred dying didn't hurt me? Or Felix? Or Gwen? Everyone who works here was hurt, everyone was suffering. Fred might not have been our brother, but he meant a lot to all of us," Verity said, tears brimming her eyes, "we're all hurting. And not just because of Fred, because of you too. That's part of the reason I want to leave, seeing you like this, seeing you suffering is killing me. I can't stand it. Working here used to be so amazing. It was almost as magical as Hogwarts. You and Fred made this place seem so alive, and everyone working was having the times of their lives. Well, now everyone hates it here. The fun and magic are gone. It all died with Fred."

"Get out," George said, his voice suddenly calm.

"George, you need to-"

"God damn it, Verity, I said get out!" George shouted, his voice seething with anger.

Verity got to her feet and rushed out of George's office, slamming the door on her way out. George put his head in his hands, trying to contain all the emotion running through him. He could hear the noise of the shop below him. He heard children laughing, and the whooshing and whirling of all the products stocking the shelves. He used to love the sound, but now there was nothing he hated more.

Well," he said to himself, sitting up, "looks like I've got to find a new assistant."


	2. Chapter 2

"How's my favorite waitress doing?" Astrid rolled her eyes at the drunk man, picking up a glass and cleaning it as he made his way to the bar, having a seat in front of it.

"Bar hopping again, Jon?" Astrid said, looking at the drunk man before her, who seemed to mistake her chest for her eyes.

"Well I was at the Leaky Cauldron, but they were missin' somethin' so I left," he said, slurring each word.

"And what was that, Jon?" Astrid asked to humor him.

"You," Jon said, smirking at her.

"Well aren't you sweet," Astrid said, refraining herself from rolling her eyes, "now can I get you a drink?"

"You know, the usual," Jon said, looking her up and down.

Astrid wanted nothing more than to tell him off after the months of catcalling and discomfort, but she knew better, she needed this job. So she did what she always did, she sighed and began making a red currant rum, Jon's favorite.

"You're the best, gorgeous," Jon said with a wide smile that revealed a set of rather crooked teeth.

"Let me know if I can get you anything else later," Astrid said, moving towards the end of the bar, where a man and a woman had just taken a seat.

"Welcome to the Stumbling Snorckback Pub, what can I get you two?" she said, trying to seem as cheery as possible.

"Just two whiskey's please," said the man in a thick Northern accent.

"Coming right up," Astrid said, moments later she handed the couple their drinks.

"Thank you miss," said the woman in a cherry voice. Unlike Astrid, her cheeriness was genuine.

Astrid gave a small nod in response and walked to the other end of the bar. A pile of dirty dishes sat waiting to be cleaned; Astrid began muttering a spell and one by one the dishes made their way to the sink, where a sponge met them midair. Astrid couldn't help but smile, she had gotten so good at cleaning spells that she didn't need her wand to cast them anymore; while it may seem like a minor feat, she was proud of herself.

It was near closing time, so Astrid made her way from behind the bar to make sure the pub was as tidy as it could be (no matter how much she cleaned or how strong of a spell she used the pub always smelled slightly of mold and the dust seemed permanently affixed to every surface.

As Astrid walked by Jon, his hand suddenly sprang forward and grabbed her wrist, "I need another drink."

"Please don't touch me," Astrid said uncomfortably as she tried to pull away, but his grip tightened. Astrid looked desperately at the couple at the other side of the bar, but they were too engrossed in their own conversation to notice what was happening a few feet away.

"Then get me a drink," Jon said, his breath smelling so strongly of alcohol it made Astrid's head hurt.

"Okay," Astrid obliged, turning to go behind the bar once again because she would rather avoid any commotion if she could.

She couldn't.

As she turned around, Jon grabbed her ass with no shame. Astrid's face flushed, she felt first felt embarrassed, then disgusted, but as soon as her feelings shifted to anger she couldn't help what happened next. The trouble with doing spells without a is wand they are harder to control. Her anger made its way into the spell and the sponge, followed by a steam of dirty dishwater flew towards Jon.

"You bitch!" Jon said, knocking the stool he was sitting on to the floor as he flew to his feet.

"Leave her alone mate," said the man who was sitting at the bar, Astrid didn't notice he had made his way over to them.

"She's the one attacking me," Jon said angrily, sneering at the man before him.

"You touched her first buddy, you deserved it," said the woman who had come in with the man, walking up to join the confrontation.

Astrid stood there like a deer in headlights. Jon was unpleasant sure, but he never took it this far. She just watched as Jon said every nasty thing he could about her while the strangers defended her.

"What the hell is going on in here?" Bill shouted, coming downstairs and entering the bar area. Bill was the short, hairy, and mean middle-aged man who owned the pub. All his clothes seemed to be stained from mysterious substances, and nearly every word out of his mouth was an insult.

"That little whore you have workin' for you assaulted me," Jon said, sneering at Astrid.

"That's it, Avery!" Bill shouted, his face turning scarlet, "this is the last straw! You're fired! Get out!"

"Bill, you have to-" Astrid began, but Bill cut her off.

"Get out before I have you arrested!" he shouted, and not wanting to see if he were serious, Astrid hurried out of the pub.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

"Hey, wait!" someone called, Astrid turned around to see the couple from the bar hurrying up to her.

"Are you okay?" said the man as they caught up to her.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that," Astrid said embarrassed.

"Don't be sorry. Those guys are real tools," the girl said, giving her a sympathetic smile, "I'm never going back there again."

"Jon's not too bad when he's sober, but yeah, Bill is a real piece of work," Astrid said, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear.

"How could you stand working there?" asked the man, "I don't think I could stand it for more than a day."

"I mean it sucked, but a job's a job," Astrid answered with a sigh, "and now I don't have one."

"Hey," said the guy, his eyes brightened as an idea popped in his head, "I think I know just the place for you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> Hello! I'm still getting used to how A03 works, as I've only ever written on Wattpad. This story is something I've posted on Wattpad but I wanted to share it here too! I'll try to improve my formatting as I go but I hope you enjoy this chapter :)


	3. Chapter 3

"Weasley's Wizard Wheezes?" Astrid said in shock, "well, what would I be doing there?"

"Test dummy," said the man from the bar, who Astrid learned was named Felix, "we are going to test all the potions on you, you might lose some hair, but it'll be worth it." 

"Oh," Astrid said, trying not to sound horrified, "that's... interesting."

"He's messing with you," said the girl who was named Gwen, "George needs a new assistant." 

"Do you mean- George Weasley?" Astrid asked, remembering how much she admired the twins when she was at Hogwarts. 

"Yeah," said Gwen, running a hand through her electric blue hair "his last assistant kinda quit. I can't lie to you, he's a bit of a handful right now, but it's good to pay and I know for a fact it's at least better than that pub." 

"What would I be doing exactly?" she asked, looking between the two.

"Just whatever George asks. I'll be honest, it's kind of a big job. His last assistant basically ran the store for him," Felix explained, Astrid looked absolutely horrified.

"There's no way I'm qualified to do that," Astrid said, all hope leaving her, "he'd never hire me. All I've ever done is cat sit and make drinks."

"If you don't try you'll never know," Gwen said, "you have to give yourself a chance if you want him to."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

The three of them stood outside of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, the shop was closed for the night, all lights in the building turned off except for one, George's office. Astrid began to wonder if George would remember her. She was in the same house and year as the Weasley twins, but they were never close. They had their own friends, and she had hers. She always admired them though, and whenever she did exchange words with them she always ended up laughing until her eyes watered.

She thought about her second year. She and George were partners in potions, and instead of putting a newt eye in their potion, George put an eye of a frog, and their potion exploded. They spent the next month in detention together. That month was spent making fun of Snape, and George telling her all about the great new prank he was planning with Fred.

Astrid was brought back to reality when she heard Felix's voice; he was holding the door to the shop open for her. She thanked him and entered the store. She frowned as Gwen flicked a light switch and the store suddenly flooded with light. The store looked exactly as it did the last time she was there, and that was right before it had closed down. Before, the store was always changing. The layout of the products was almost always different, and there would always be new products every few weeks.

"Has George came up with any new products lately?" Astrid asked, looking around the store in hopes of seeing a product she hadn't seen before.

"No," Gwen said, exchanging a look with Felix, "it's been months since we've had something new."

"It's not that big of a deal though," Felix said quickly, "we've already got a ton of stuff."

"So how do I apply for this job?" Astrid asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Oh, I'll take you up to see George now," Gwen said, "follow me."

Gwen led Astrid up a spiral staircase which led to the second level of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Just a few feet from the staircase were two doors. George's office, and right across from it was Fred's. Gwen grabbed the handle to George's office, and slowly pushed it open. Before she walked in, Astrid's eyes lingered on the gold letters spelling out Fred's name on his office door. She felt a pang of sadness, and couldn't help but wonder how George felt, every time he saw his brother's name on that door.

"George?" Gwen called out softly, Astrid was standing beside Gwen, looking around the room. It was dark in his office, but Astrid could make out a few things. What looked like prototype products lay discarded in the corner; it looked as if they hadn't been touched in ages. A big chalkboard sat against the wall, gathering a layer of dust. The room was a mess; there were papers littering the floor, and random bits and bobs everywhere.

George was sat in his chair, it was turned so the back of it was facing them, but a little bit of his Weasley red hair was peaking over the top. 

"Back to work after hours?" George said, more annoyed than jokingly.

"This is Astrid Avery, and she would like to apply to be your assistant," Gwen said, Astrid suddenly felt very nervous as George spun his chair around to look at her. 

He stared at her for a few moments, then he spoke, "Alright, you can start tomorrow."

"You don't want to ask her any questions or anything?" Gwen asked, surprised by Astrid's sudden employment as Astrid herself was.

"She got good marks at Hogwarts, so I know she's not a complete idiot, most people liked her so she should be pretty good dealing with customers, she was basically the only person in our year who always had all her work done on time, so she has a good work ethic. There's not much more I need to know. Get here an hour before opening tomorrow" George said, he spoke in monotone and wore a bored expression on his face. This, thought Astrid, was very unlike the George Weasley she once knew.

"Thank you, so much," Astrid said once she had found her voice, she was in a bit of a shock from what George had said about her, and the strange way he had said it.

"Just don't mess up," George said, turning his chair away, Astrid's smile quivered.

"Let's go," Gwen said, grabbing Astrid's sleeve and leading her back downstairs.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

"I got the job," Astrid said to Felix once they got downstairs, his face broke out into a grin as he congratulated her.

"All I had to do was say her name and she got the job," Gwen said, "apparently they know each other."

"You forgot to mention you and George were best mates," Felix said, raising an eyebrow at Astrid.

"We were in the same house and year at Hogwarts. We never really talked though, only on a few occasions. Honestly, I wasn't expecting him not to remember me."

"Well it's a good thing he did," Felix said, "because now you get to work with the coolest guy around."

"I can't wait," Astrid laughed, rolling her eyes, "but I do have a question."

"Shoot," Gwen said, nodding for her to continue.

"Is George always like that? He seems different. A lot different from how he used to be."

Both Gwen and Felix looked down at their feet. Neither of them seemed as if they wanted to answer. After a moment Felix took a deep breath and replied.

"He's still having a really tough time, you know, after the war and everything."

Astrid just nodded.


	4. Chapter 4

Astrid lived in a flat a few streets away from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. She found herself rushing around her room, she was supposed to leave ten minutes ago to go to her first day of work, however, she couldn't find her cat, Milo, anywhere. Astrid wouldn't be so worried about Milo's disappearance, if it wasn't for the fact that her landlord had a strict no pets policy. Astrid couldn't help it; she couldn't just get rid of Milo, but she didn't have anywhere else to go.

After a few more minutes of searching, Astrid finally found him. Milo was curled up into a ball in one of her kitchen cabinets. How he got there, she had no idea. Astrid gave him a quick pet goodbye, begging him to behave although she knew he couldn't understand her, and then hurried out of her apartment. She was supposed to be at work in five minutes, and she did not want to be late on her first day. 

Luckily, since it was early in the morning, very few people were out in the streets, meaning she didn't have to push past people to get by. She ran down the cobblestone streets, her straw-colored hair flying behind her and her bag swinging wildly at her side as she rushed to work. 

By the time she got to work, Astrid was only a few minutes late. Upon entering the store, she looked around quickly for a familiar face, and soon she saw Felix. When he noticed she had come in, he smiled and turned away from what he was doing to approach her. 

"Hey," he said, a lazy smile tugging at his lips, "how goes it?"

"It goes good," she answered, laughing slightly, "so what should I do? Do I need to take stock? Man the cash register? Clean the bathroom? Please tell me it's not clean the bathroom."

"Don't worry, you won't have to clean the bathroom," Felix assured, "but I have no idea what you'll have to do. You'll have to talk to George, he should be in his office."

"Right," Astrid nodded, then headed up the spiral staircase which led to George's office. 

She stood outside the door to his office, nerves suddenly starting to build up inside of her. She took a deep breath, and then knocked on the door. She waited for a moment, listening for any sign of sound inside the office. 

Nothing. 

She quietly pushed open the large oak door, peeking her head inside the room; George wasn't at his desk. Astrid opened the door all the way and looked around the office space. Against the wall on the far left side of the room was a blue couch, and on it lay a sleeping George Weasley. The couch wasn't small, but George was so tall that his feet were hanging off one end, and his body was twisted, trying to make himself fit the best he could. 

Astrid let out a small chuckle as she walked over to George. She crouched down so that she was level with him. She lightly began to shake his shoulder, he wasn't waking up, so she quietly said his name.

George began to stir, and his eyelids began to flutter until they were open, and his hazel eyes were staring into Astrid's bright green ones. He looked at her for a few moments, then sat up, and silently walked to his desk. 

"What time is it?" George asked groggily, rubbing his tired eyes. 

"About 7:45," Astrid replied, earning a silent nod from George, "do you want me to get you breakfast or something?" 

"It's fine, I'll just head upstairs to my flat and make myself something," George said, standing up once again, "I have some papers I need to go through, why don't you handle that."

"What do you want me to do exactly?" Astrid asked as George began to walk out of the room, but he stopped for a minute to answer her. 

"Just see what's important and what's not. Fill out as much as you can, and what you need me to sign just leave on my desk. Most of it's just consumer questions, bills, and letters from other companies wanting to make some sort of deal. If you need any help, you can ask some of the other employees. Leave the bills for me, and say no to all companies," George said, Astrid nodded, feeling slightly overwhelmed by the wave of instructions and tower of papers in front of her. George walked out of the room without another word, and Astrid sat down at his desk and dove into all of the papers. 

Astrid had to ask Felix and Gwen questions a few times, but for the most part, she handled the paperwork pretty well by herself. 

"Hey," George said, walking into his office about two hours later.

"Hey," Astrid said with a smile, "so I have some papers you need to sign, do you want them now or later?"

"I'll take them now," he said, Astrid grabbed the pile of things for George, placing them in front of him. 

"Thanks," he said, grabbing the first paper and getting straight to signing.

"Is there anything else you need me to do?" Astrid asked, George looked up for a moment. 

"Not right now, you can go downstairs and see if they need any help."

Astrid nodded and headed downstairs as he advised. The store was swamped with people of all ages, all laughing and smiling. The atmosphere was so happy and warm, Astrid couldn't help but smile. She looked around the store, looking for either Felix or Gwen. She saw Gwen standing in the corner talking to some kids about the love potion. Astrid walked over as the kids walked away.

"Hey Eddie, where are the extra Dung Bombs? We're running low," Gwen asked as Eddie, a very tan and tall employee walked by. 

"What's up?" Gwen asked Astrid, once Eddie was gone, headed to get more Dung Bombs. 

"George told me to come see if you guys needed any help down here," Astrid said, Gwen scrunched up her face, thinking of what Astrid could do. 

"How well do you know our products?"

"Pretty well."

"Just stand around the store and help customers, tell them about the products, answer any questions," Gwen said, "you'll have to get a staff shirt though, I'm guessing George didn't give you one, considering being on the sales floor isn't in your job description."

"He did not," Astrid answered, looking down at her plain black shirt. 

"Go see Felix, he knows where the extra shirts are," Gwen said, standing on her tiptoes to look over the sea of people in search of Felix, "he's over by the Wildfire Whiz-Bangs."

Astrid maneuvered her way around the crowded store to reach Felix. As she walked, she watched kids try on headless hats and the out to lunch fake mustache, she couldn't help but smile at the joy it caused. 

"how's the first day going?" Felix asked as Astrid approached him. 

"Pretty decent," Astrid answered, "can you get me an employee shirt, I'm going to be working down here for a little while." 

"Follow me m'lady," he said, nodding his head towards the back of the store. 

"How do I look?" Astrid asked Felix once she had changed, giving Felix a little twirl. 

"Like a part of the family, we're glad to have you Astrid."


	5. Chapter 5

"Astrid! Wait up!" Gwen called, jogging to catch up to Astrid, who was making her way out of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes after her first day. 

"What's up?" Astrid said, adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder as Gwen approached. 

"We were all going to grab a bite to eat at the Leaky Cauldron, care to join us?" 

"Yeah, I'd love to!" 

"Cool, let's start heading over now and everyone will meet us there in a little bit," Gwen said, Astrid nodded and the pair began making their way through Diagon Alley. 

\---------

"Over here!" Gwen yelled, waving her arm in the air to get the attention of the group of five that walked into the Leaky Cauldron. 

By the time Felix and the rest of their coworkers got to the Leaky Cauldron, Gwen had already downed a Firewhiskey and Astrid was nursing one as well. 

"Ladies," Felix said, unwrapping his scarf from his neck as he sat down. 

"Gentlemen," Gwen replied, giving a bow from her seat as the five slid into the large booth. 

"Alright, Astrid," Felix said as he settled in the booth, "you met Eddie earlier, but I don't think you got the chance to meet the others, so let me do some introductions." 

First Astrid was introduced to Bruce, a stalky redhead who was often mistaken for a Weasley by those who visited the store. He would never admit it to anymore, but sometimes he would go along with it when kids would ask him if he was one of the Weasley's. 

Next was Micah, the tallest of the group whose dark hair was tied in long braids that fell just above his waist. Micah was rather quiet, but when he did join in the conversation he brought his dry and sarcastic humor that left everyone doubled over in laughter.

Last was Nigel, who had a mousey face and fair hair. His clothing was as orderly as it could be, not a single wrinkle or stray string could be seen. Astrid couldn't help but notice how awkward he was, but he was also hilarious, which came mostly from the fact that he didn't realize he was being funny. 

It was an interesting group, but Astrid felt right at home despite only knowing these people for such a short time. It had been such a long time since Astrid had been around other people than those who frequented the Stumbling Snorckback, she had forgotten that there were other kinds of people out there. Astrid much preferred her new friends from the joke shop, she couldn't remember a time before meeting them that her face hurt from laughing. 

"So guys," Astrid said after about an hour at the Leaky Cauldron, everyone was feeling particularly happy and warm thanks to the Firewhiskey, Gwen couldn't contain her giggles that erupted constantly, as she was two drinks ahead of the rest, "what happened to George this week that's made him so grumpy?"

Astrid didn't think much of this question, but the smile that had been cemented on her face began to falter as she saw the same thing happen to those around her. The air changed from one of joy and lightness suddenly felt heavy and awkward. Those around Astrid glanced at each other nervously, none of them wanting to be the one to answer the question.

"Uh," Felix finally said, scratching the back of his head and avoiding Astrid's gaze, "that's kind of just George. He's always like that."

"Honestly what you've seen is his good mood," Bruce added, everyone around him nodded and Astrid's face fell further. 

"He's just so...different than he used to be," Astrid said, remembering the bright and happy George Weasley she had met at Hogwarts years ago. 

"Trust us, we know," Felix replied, shaking his head. His hazel eyes finally lifted to meet Astrid's and something about his expression made her suddenly realize just how serious the situation was. 

"What happened to him?" Astrid asked quietly, her heart feeling heavier by the minute. She thought about one of the few times she talked to George back at Hogwarts, how no one had ever made her laugh so hard or feel so warm. She refused to believe that part of George had disappeared. 

"Losing Fred really took a toll on him, he's never gotten over it," Felix said, taking a large swig of Firewhiskey.

"The drinking probably also doesn't his state," Gwen added, her whole body swayed and her eyes looked heavy from the many drinks she had consumed throughout the night. 

"Gwen!" Micah scolded, taking the glass of whiskey out of her hands and out of her reach. 

"I'm sorryyyyy," Gwen slurred, dropping her head into her hands. 

"I think she's had a little too much to drink," Nigel said worriedly as Gwen's head slide from her hands onto the table. 

"I'll help her get home," Astrid said, quickly standing up and tossing some sickles onto the table, "I'm sorry if I made things awkward."

"No, you're totally fine," Bruce said with a smile, to Astrid's relief it seemed genuine, "you would find out eventually, better to be prepared."

"I'll help you take care of Gwen," Felix said, quickly sliding out of the booth, "I'll see you guys tomorrow, take care."


	6. Chapter 6

"I really ruined that outing didn't I?" Astrid sighed. Her and Felix were walking Gwen back to her apartment, they each had one of her arms around their shoulder. Astrid couldn't help but feel disappointed in herself, she finally had something good, a job that wasn't horrible where she worked with people she actually liked. She didn't even want to think about what they thought of her after the fiasco at the Leaky Cauldron.

"You're fine kid, don't let it bother you," Felix said, causing Astrid to roll her eyes for two reasons. The first being he was only a year older than her, and second being she didn't believe any of them would want to be her friend after the awkwardness she had caused.

"I just shouldn't have said anything," Astrid said shaking her head while adjusting her grip on Gwen. Gwen was short and skinny, but being as she was barely conscious, they were holding her dead weight which wasn't exactly the easiest task.

"We all had to learn at some point or another that the George Weasley we know today is not the same one he was before the war. No one faults you for that," he reassured.

When the trio finally reached Gwen's flat, Astrid struggled to find her key among the many pockets and zippers in her bag. After many minutes of searching, she finally pulled out a long bronze key which let them enter the apartment.

The interior was not quite what Astrid was expecting. She wasn't exactly sure what she thought she was going to see, maybe crazy colors and weird trinkets. Instead, she only saw earthy colors and was surrounded by more plants than she had ever seen in her life. Gwen's flat was like a forest; countless maidenhair ferns were hanging from the walls and ceiling, and dozens of cacti, succulents, and ferns were scattered across the floor and every table and shelf.

Astrid could hardly believe that she was in a flat just outside of Diagon Alley, rather than a cottage deep in the woods. Delicate looking watering cans flew across the room to quench the thirst of all the hungry plants, a small yellow one flying so fast that it almost crashed straight into Astrid.

"Cool, isn't it," Felix said with a grin, gently placing Gwen on the moss-colored sofa, which Astrid found herself questioning whether it was just moss-colored, or in fact covered in moss. After making sure Gwen was safely on the couch, he walked over to the kitchen area in the corner of the room, Astrid didn't notice it at first as it was hidden by many plants.

"Want some coffee? or Tea? Water?" Felix asked, turning on the navy gas oven, which made a sound like it was ready to explode when he put the heat on.

"Would she be okay with us using her stuff?" Astrid asked worriedly, after the mess at the Leaky Cauldron, she didn't want to step on any toes.

"Trust me, it's fine, " Felix said, turning a picture that was facing him on the counter around so that Astrid could see it, "we've been best friends forever, we basically live together."

The photo was of the two at the Yule Ball. Though she never really spoke to them, Astrid did remember them from Hogwarts. They were both in Hufflepuff, and both a year above her. In showing her this photo, Felix had hoped to calm her nerves about upsetting Gwen, but rather, it brought back a buried memory to the surface of her subconscious.

It was a week before the ball, and she was paired up with George for a Transfiguration project, McGonagall had forbidden Fred and George from ever working together again. Astrid sat at the table in front of the fire in the Gryffindor common room, while George sat in one of the plush scarlet armchairs, his feet resting on the table she was working at. While she wrote, George would throw in ideas, but mostly he would make silly and outrageous remarks. Though he didn't find himself spending much time with Astrid, he enjoyed the moments they did have together, she laughed at every joke, even the bad ones.

Astrid didn't know this, but George felt like the was the unfunny twin. Fred always had the best one-liners and he felt like he was always following Fred's lead. With Astrid, he didn't feel like that.

George didn't know this, but every time they talked Astrid was truly at ease, which didn't happen much for her. She was constantly nervous and doubted everything about herself. When she talked to George, she felt seen, she saw someone she aspired to be like and longed for the confidence she saw in him.

As they finished their project, Astrid rolled up the parchment and the two got to their feet. George stretched his long arms out as he stood up in a dramatic fashion as if he had been stuck in that chair for years.

"Good work Avery," George said with a wide grin, he only ever called her by her surname.

"Thanks," she replied with a smile, George shot her a wink and began to walk away when Astrid blurted out, "Hey, George? I was just wondering if...."

Astrid never got to finish her sentence; at that very moment Alicia Spinnet made her way down from the girl's dorm and called out to George.

"Weasley! Care to be my date to the ball?" she asked, her group of friends surrounding her began to giggle in excitement as they waited for his response.

"Of course! You made a great choice Alicia, you could find no better date," George said with a chuckle, the group of girls erupted in happy squeals as they retreated back up to their room.

"Now what were you-" George began to say as he went to turn back to Astrid, but she was nowhere to be seen. George's eyebrows knitted together in confusion at her sudden disappearance. He tried not to let it bother him, but he couldn't help feeling off as he went to tell his brother he had scored a date to the ball.

Astrid decided not to go to the Yule Ball. She also decided to try to avoid George as much as she could. She knew she never actually asked George to the ball, he probably didn't even know she wanted to ask him, but she couldn't help but feel embarrassed. What was she thinking? Even if Alicia hadn't asked him, he probably would have rejected her. They weren't real friends, they only talked in class or when other circumstances gave them a reason to interact. From that moment on, she sat on opposite sides of class as the twins, avoided Quidditch and all things that had to do with George. She couldn't decide if she did this to save herself from embarrassment, or if it was to see if he'd go out of his way to talk to her.

He didn't.


	7. Chapter 7

Astrid felt uneasy at work the next day. Not only was she having to process what everyone had said about George, the memory of that night just before the Yule Ball was now constantly on her mind. She had no reason to feel embarrassed and she knew that, George didn't have the slightest clue on what she had planned to ask him that night years ago. Nonetheless, she felt as if she were 16 again and dealing with the humiliation for the first time. 

Astrid typically started her day at the joke shop by speaking with George about what he wanted from her for the day, but she decided to just head straight to the sales floor, that is after all, what he usually sent her to do. Soon her nerves and embarrassment faded as she was able to interact with various young witches and wizards who were in awe of the colorful and magnificent products that lined the tall, orange shelves of the joke shop. 

After helping a large family who was visiting the store for the first time, Astrid made her way over to a pair of young boys, they couldn't be more than 3rd years at Hogwarts. 

"First time?" She asked as she crept over, the boys seemed startled by her sudden appearance, which took them out of their daze as they stared at the rows of shelves. 

"No," said one, he was much taller than the other and extremely lanky, "we've been coming here since they opened." 

Astrid gave them an encouraging smile, "I don't blame you, this place is incredible, and I promise they're not just paying me to say that. It looked like you guys were looking for something, can I help you find it?" 

The shorter boy gave a nervous smile, shifting his weight between his feet before asking "we were just trying to see where the new products are. It's been a while since we've seen something new, the displays have stayed the same for ages and we figured there might be some new stuff hidden on the shelves." 

Astrid's smile faltered, this was by far her least favorite part of the work day. It happened everyday, and everyday it killed her to disappoint the kids when she told them there was nothing new to see. 

"Actually..." Astrid began, the look of disappointment in their eyes as they knew were she was going with this made her heart hurt, "we haven't put anything new out since April, but I'm sure that will change soon." 

"Oh... well thanks anyway," said the tall one, staring down at his shoes gloomily. 

"Well, I guess we'll just be off," said the other, a slight frown forming, "thank you, miss."

Astrid watched the pair as they exited the shop, not able to help her eyebrows knitting together as she rested her back against the wall. She couldn't help the feeling of worry that was taking over her, she knew the products they had were spectacular, but how much could the business really grow if they didn't have anything new to sell? 

"Those punks giving you a hard time?" Gwen said, as she approached the shelf to the left of Astrid to stock the Extendable Ears.

"What? No," Astrid said, shaking her head, "they were actually really nice."

"Then what's got you so grumpy?" Gwen asked, standing on her tip toes to reach a high shelf.

"I'm just worried about the store," she replied, biting her lip nervously, "we haven't released a new product since before the war and it feels like Zonko's has something new every month!"

"Yeah... it's not a great situation" Gwen muttered as she continued her work, "but I we still have really unique stuff, stuff Zonko's can't even compare to." 

"But once everyone buys the stuff we have that they don't... what's stopping them from getting everything else from Zonko's?" Astrid implored, now Gwen was the one who looked concerned, "I'm not trying to make you nervous, it's just that we have competition we need to look out for and right now we not matching what they're putting out and sooner or later they are going to sneak ahead of us and steal all our customers."

"You're right," Gwen admitted, letting out a sigh, "but we both know there is no way George is going to work on any of the ideas he had."

"There's a book - in his office," Astrid said, an idea suddenly popping into her mind, "it's all his and Fred's ideas. They may not be completed or she fool proof since they never got past the planning stage, but it's a start, we could use that and we could us the blue prints to try and make them!"

"Astrid," Gwen replied, her eyes were wide and mouth slightly agape in astonishment, "that's absolutely brilliant!" 

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

"So what to you think?" Astrid asked breathlessly, she was so excited to tell Felix about her idea she forgot to breathe between sentences. 

"I think it's a great idea but," Felix said, though he looked hesitant.

"But?" Gwen cut in, wondering what flaw he could see in their plan. 

"But," he continued, shooting Gwen a look, "I don't know how George would react to it. I think he might just shoot it down."

"Why?" Astrid blurted out, unable to fathom how George could see this as a bad idea "to keep the store running we're going to need to put new products out sooner or later."

"That's the thing, I don't think he cares about keeping the store running." 

The truth of Felix's words left the three in silence. It really didn't matter how badly they wanted Weasley's Wizard Wheezes to succeed, because no matter how little responsibility he tried to have, the future of the store was in his hands. If he had given up, there was no hope. 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight  
“George?” Astrid called, tentatively knocking on the oak door that led to George’s office.  
“Come in.”  
With a gulp, Astrid pushed the door open and entered the office. George sat silently at his desk, not bothering to look up at her as she approached, his eyes focused on a piece of paper in his hands. Astrid strode across the room and sat in the large green chair in front of his desk. As much as Astrid wanted to avoid him for the entire day, Astrid knew it would be wrong to not at least check in with him before she left for the day.  
“Is there anything I can do for you before I leave?” she asked, tapping her fingers against her leg nervously.   
“No,” George said after a moment, finally lifting his gaze to meet hers, “just make sure to lock up on your way out.”   
“Alright, George,” Astrid said, releasing a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding and mustering a small smile, “have a good night.”  
He nodded in return and Astrid quickly got to her feet and made her way towards the door. Right before her hand touched the handle, she hesitated. Her hand floated just above the handle as she thought. She knew if the joke shop wanted to keep succeeding, they needed to start developing new products. No matter how awkward or embarrassed she felt, she knew she had to talk to George about it sooner or later. She decided sooner would be the better option.  
“Actually,” Astrid said, spinning around to face a confused George, “do you mind if we have a quick chat?”  
“I suppose.”  
“I want to talk about the shop.” she said, once again taking a seat in front of his desk.   
“What about it?”   
“George, we really need to start putting new products out-”   
“Do you have any ideas, then?” Astrid was shocked when George cut her off, an edge of annoyance creeping into his voice, “it’s not a simple task.”  
“W-well I was thinking we could look through the ideas in this!” Astrid said nervously, but trying to sound confident as she got up to pick up the orange leather bound book on the floor beside George’s desk, “if you want, you can tell me which ones you would want to sell, and then I can start trying to make prototypes!”   
“We don’t need new products, Astrid!” George insisted, throwing his hands up in frustration, “this is not part of your job, so don’t worry about it.”  
“Tell me then,” Astrid replied, refusing to back down, she was not going to give up without a fight, “are sales up?”  
“Sales are… fine,” George said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head with one hand, “they’re lower than usual but our profit is still good.”  
“George, you know Zonko’s is coming out with product after product, after a while we won’t be able to compete!”  
“We’ll be fine, Astrid.”   
“Fine,” Astrid spat, trying to keep the anger that was building in her from erupting, “but don’t blame me when things go under and you see that I was right.”   
Astrid pushed her chair back forcefully as she stood up, she could see the surprise in George’s eyes. She marched back towards the door, but once again, before she opened the door she turned around to say one final word.  
“You wouldn’t know this, because you never leave this fucking office,” Astrid said, a fire in her eyes like George had never seen, “but if you saw the look on the faces of those poor kids who are devastated when I have to tell them that we don’t have anything new for them to see, you might change your mind.”  
“Astrid-”  
“Don’t,” Astrid shook her head, her anger was slowly fading but she could feel tears threatening to spill, “you don’t have to disappoint them everyday when you tell them there’s nothing new on the shelves. You don’t have to see them leave with their heads hanging. I know you don’t care about making the shop better for yourself, but at least think of doing it for those kids who are so much like you were at their age, they look up to you so much.”   
Without giving him a chance to speak, Astrid left George sitting silently in his office. He was used to the silence, but this time it felt heavy, almost suffocating. He couldn’t stand to be alone in it, he couldn’t stand what he was feeling and what his life had become.  
He reached a shaking hand to the bottom right drawer of his desk and pulled out an unopened bottle of Firewhiskey. His trembling fingers fought with the cap, hurriedly bringing it to his lips the moment it opened.   
And he drank.  
And drank.  
And drank.  
Until it all felt okay again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!   
> I just wanted to say I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far :) let me know what you think!


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